Spike-pointing machine



(No Model.)

W. GOLDIE.

SPIKE 'POINTING MACHINE.

Patented Oct. 22, 1889.

N. PETERS, Fholo-Lilhogmphor. Wishinglon. 04 c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VI LLIAM GOLDIE, OF WEST BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

SPIKE-POINTIN'G MACHINE.

SPECIFIGATION 'forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,341, dated October 22, 1889.

. Application filed January 2, 1889. fierial No. 295,146. (No model.) i

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, WILLIAM GOLDIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Spike-Pointing Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in.

machines for forming on a spike a point or extreme puncturing end having cutters or cutting-edges, preferably located on its sides, and of a sloping form beginning at or near the center and sloping outwardly toward the head to the lateral sides of the body, although my improved device, by a special adaptation of the dies and cutters, would form a chisel-edge of the ordinary form, or at right angles with the sides, which would greatly improve the driving and holding qualities of spikes of that form. V

Spikes, especially those used in railroad work for holding the rails to the ties, must be provided with a keen and sharp cuttingedge to out or divide the edge of the timber without breakage or mutilation, in order to.

obtain a fair and economical result in holding the rails in place; and the points as now constructed are commonly swaged into form with a cutting-edge not in the least sharp or keen, and are used with very unsatisfactory results, while other points are formed by reciprocating cutters opposite each other and cutting across the grain of the rolled iron of the spike; but this action on the iron causes the edges or cutters so formed to be rough and uneven and not well adapted to produce the result intended, as they do not divide the grain with a clean sharp out, but, on account of the roughness and irregular edges, tear and break the fiber of the wood, so that a true and solid wall to support the spike is not obtained.

One object of my invention is to provide a machine for placing a keen and sharp cuttingedge upon the spike point after it has been swaged or pressed into form.

A second object of my invention is to pro vide a machine to form diagonal cuttingedges on the lateral sides of the reduced end or point by shearing off the superfluous metal or corners partially in the direction of its length, whereby the shearing action of the die obtains in a great measure lengthwise of the grain of the metal and keen knife-edges are formed as well as smooth compressing surfaces.

, A third object is to construct and arrange a machine for producing a fine and keen out ting-edge upon a spike-point that is easily operated-and kept in repair and at the same time strong and durable.

My invention consists, first, in a verticallyreciprocating plunger provided on its lower portion with one or more cutters of a shape to conform to the shape of the cutting-edges required on the spike, and a stationary or anvil die having its upper face arranged to support the spike in a position oblique to the movement of the plunger, and having its front lower edge fitted to conform to the cutter or cutters on the plunger; and the invention consists, also, in providing the vertically-moving plunger, having on its lower portion cutting-edges for shearing the point of the spike into the required form, with a guide or stop extending below the said cutters for receiving the point ofthe spike and sustaining the spike against end-thrust during the cutting operation, when used in combinationmy invention and showing the parts in position before the pointing operation. Fig.2 is the same and showing the position of the tion of the spike-pointing machine containing IOO parts after the pointing operation is performed. Fig. 3 is a section of Fig. 1 taken at so 00. Fig. a is a section of Fig. 2 taken at y y. Fig. 5 is a front view of the lower portion of the plunger detached. Fig. 6 is a view in elevation of the inner side of the anvil detached.

The same letters of reference throughout the several views designate the same parts.

a is a bed-piece or supporting-plate mounted upon suitable lugs or standards, not herein shown,) and upon the front end portion of the bed-piece is placed a stationary anvil or dieblock Z), and the block isheld in position and arranged to be adjusted inany required direction in any suitable manner, one means, as herein shown, being the adjusting-screws c for a front and rear, and the screws d for a lateral, adjustment. The upper side of the die-block is provided with a die-face e, having its surface sloping inwardly and downwardly, (as herein shown to about the angle of forty-five degrees,) as may be required to conform to the shape of the point to be produced, and the inner or front vertical face f of the block is extended forward, and this portion f has its lateral sides g and h arranged to conform to the longitudinal contour of the edges designed to be produced upon the spikepoint, and, as shown in the illustrations, the portion f is provided with the sides g and h diverging from the center in the form of a male V, while the upper surface i; of the portion f is sloping and forms a continuation of the face 2; or the angle may be slightlychanged to conform to the compressing-surface of the spike to be operated upon, and is provided on its lateral sides with the oblique edges j and 7c.

The lateral portions Z and m of the die block on each side of and projecting above the face 2 form guides for presenting and retaining the spike in a proper position in relation to the edges j and 7t.

Extending upwardly from the rear portion of the bed-piece a is a standard 71, and upon the side supports 0, which extend above the standard, is mounted the transverse shaft 19, which carries a cam q, rigidly secured thereon between the side supports 0. The standard at is provided in its upper portion with a vertical opening or slide r, while the front portion of the standard in rear of the die-block b is removed, the rear side of the slide 0", however, continuing below the block to the bed-piece. s is a plunger placed within and fitted to the slide 1", to allow a vertically-reciprocatin g movement to be imparted thereto, and the front portion of the lower end of the plunger is removed, leaving the remaining portion 15 so located as to rest against or in close proximity to the V-edge of the portion f, and the front side of the plunger above the guide-stop t is provided with a longitudinal V-shaped groove to, conforming to the contour of the male V-projection f, over which it passes in the reciprocation of the plunger.

The lower end of the V-groove u is provided with the cutting-edges c, of any suitable form, being herein shown as sloping upward from the inner angle of the V-groove, as best adapted to making the form of point herein shown. The upper end of the plunger is provided with a projection or collar to, and z is a spring coiled around the plunger beneath the collar and resting upon the upper portion of the standard beneath the side supports 0, and operates to lift the plunger to bear its upper end against the periphery of the cam q.

Suitable means are attached to the shaft 1) for imparting a rotary motion thereto and re" to be operated upon, is of the ordinary form,

having a swaged chisel-point with an edge quite dull or thick, and is placed between the guides Z and m, with the rear face of its point lying upon the anvil die-face t', and with its end or chiseledge bearing against the guide-stop t, as shown in Fig. 1. The plunger then descends and causes the edges 1) to impinge upon the upper side of the spike-point and pass downward to shear off the metal, which projects laterally beyond the edges j and 7c, andproduce on the lower or rear side of the spike cutters which have exceedingly sharp and clean edges, and at the same time making neat and smooth oblique bevels on the spike-point in front of the edges.

The machine as herein shown and described is adapted to produce oblique cutters located coincident with the rear compressing-bevel of the point, and of course forms a point of a V form; but I do not limit the invention to the precise form of the dies and cutters herein shown, as the form of the dies and cutters may be varied and changed so as to produce any form of cutter upon the spikepoint that may be desired, and is as well adapted to form the cutters in a central location on the sides of the point, as the spike, having been operated upon as above described, is reversed, and with its opposite side lying upon the die dand the extreme point against the stop 25 the cutting operation is repeated, and the cutters are then formed in a central location, with the same oblique bevels in front and rear thereof.

One great advantage of the use of this de vice is, that it is not essential when heading and pointing a spike-blank to provide for a tine or uniform point, as the swaging of the point may be very imperfect so long as front and rear compressing-bevels are formed, and the spike-bevels then operated upon by my improved machine will be found provided 413,341 I Q s with as neat and uniform cutters as would be obtained by operating upon the most perfectly-swaged point, and this advantage is a great saving of expense and time in the manufacture, as a heavy expense is incurred in repairing and keeping in order the swagingdies to form a uniform point. v

Of course it is well known that metal bars formed by the rolling process are provided with a fiber or grainv running lengthwise thereof, and as these rolled metal bars are used in the construction of the common forms of spikes,it will be observed that the cutting action of the edges 1; obtains almost lengthwise of the grain of the iron in the spike, and a much cleaner cut is made and finer and more perfect cutters are formed by shearing the point oblique to the grain of the spike than by making the cut transversely with the grain, as no breakage or cleavage of the fiber of the extreme edges or the oblique facets can take place with the cutters moving obliquely to the grain of the iron.

hat I claim, broadly, as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a spike-pointing machine, the combisaid cutters, with an anvil-die having an inclined face for supporting the spike with its end presented to the cutters and in a position oblique to the movement of the plunger, sub stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' WILLIAM GOLDIE. Witnesses:

FRED. A. MCKAY, JAs. E. THOMAS. 

